UKGC Withholds Flutter Meeting Data
Regulator cites excessive cost to retrieve 10 years of records with the UK's largest gambling operator.
The UK Gambling Commission has refused to release details of its meetings with Flutter Entertainment over the last decade. The regulator cited excessive costs, stating the information is not centrally located and would take over 18 hours to compile. This decision limits public scrutiny of interactions between the UKGC and the country's largest gambling firm.
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UKGC Refuses to Disclose Meeting History with Flutter
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has withheld a decade's worth of information about its meetings with Flutter Entertainment and Betfair, citing the excessive cost and effort required to retrieve the data. The decision, revealed in a Freedom of Information (FOI) response, limits public insight into the interactions between the regulator and the UK's largest gambling operator.
The request, dated 12 June 2025, asked for a list of all meetings between the two organisations over the last 10 years, including their purpose and the representatives who attended.
Why the Information Was Withheld
In its response, the UKGC confirmed it holds information within the scope of the request but refused to provide it by invoking Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. This exemption allows public authorities to decline requests where the cost of compliance would exceed a set limit of £450, which is equivalent to 18 hours of staff time.
The Commission explained that the requested details are not stored in a central database. Instead, the information is spread across "a number of calendars and records across the Gambling Commission." To fulfil the request, staff would need to manually review each entry to identify relevant meetings and extract the specific details, a task the UKGC estimates would take "in excess of 18 hours."
Because the cost exemption was applied, the regulator provided no information, even if some had been found within the time limit. The UKGC stated this is standard procedure to allow the requester to refine their request.
What This Means for Consumers
Meetings between the UKGC and major licensees like Flutter—which owns Paddy Power, Sky Bet, and Betfair—are a standard part of the regulatory process. These discussions can cover critical topics such as compliance with licence conditions, responsible gambling measures, upcoming regulations, and enforcement actions.
Transparency around these meetings allows the public and consumer protection groups to understand the relationship between the regulator and the industry it oversees. It provides insight into the frequency of engagement and the key issues being addressed at the highest levels.
The UKGC's inability to easily access a consolidated record of its meetings with its largest licensee highlights a potential gap in its data management practices. For consumers, this lack of accessible information means there is no public record of how often or for what purpose the regulator is engaging with the operator that holds the largest share of the UK gambling market. This opacity makes it difficult to assess the level of scrutiny and dialogue concerning consumer protection issues.